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Animal Friendly Beauty Products & Animal Cruelty In The Beauty Business

There was a time when virtually all beauty products contained some type of animal fat or oils. Dangerous chemicals were also tested on animals to determine the safety of that chemical on human subjects. We saw shocking images of animals in laboratories and this made us sit up and think. Nowadays, scientists have found cruelty-free ways to produce beauty products that are effective and pleasant to use. As more and more people came to realize that animals' lives should be respected as living and breathing creatures, studies were performed on these products that proved animal fats and oils were not necessary to create effective beauty products. These fats and oils were replaced by products such as plant-based oils, vitamins, minerals, and other ingredients. The findings were that some of these ingredients were in fact, more effective than animal fats and oils! Not only that, they were much more pleasant to use and we could use them without conscience.

Dermatologists and scientists found that products made with plant-based ingredients were less greasy and absorbed into the skin better than the product with animal-based ingredients. They were often less likely to cause break-outs and the skin was able to breathe better. As great as these benefits are, there is still an even greater benefit in that the lives of many animals can be spared.

Not all beauty products are animal cruelty-free, even today. Some companies still test their ingredients on animals as well. Depending on where the products are manufactured, local laws may not require that the products not test animals or use their oils and fats. If you care about helpless animals, make sure that the beauty products that you buy says "no animal testing" or "cruelty-free" on the package or the ‘leaping bunny’ logo is also a sure sign the product has not been tested on animals.


Another issue is that there are more animals that people eat, unfortunately the by- products of this are cheaper and easier to get hold of than plant based products even though they are no better in quality.

When you go to buy a new lipstick or moisturiser do you look at the label or even think if it has been tested on animals? Maybe you consider the nice packaging and consider if it suits your skin tone, but do you consider whether an animal has suffered for this lipstick for example? There are many more companies who offer vegan, cruelty free beauty care so you can have a choice and make your voice heard. If you are against animal testing, don’t but products tested on animals-simple. Thankfully cruelty free products are growing in popularity.

Most companies are now trying to create products that do not test animals or use their parts. As companies become more aware of the pain and torture lab animals suffer for the sake of beauty, they are actively trying to launch products that are cruelty-free. There is massive consumer power and as more of us realise what happens to these animals there is much more pressure to use other ways of testing cosmetics without using animals.

Also, in 2013 there is going to be a ban on any marketing of cosmetics that have been tested on animals across Europe, which is a massive advancement. Also, there are a lot of companies such as Marks and Spencer, Lush, The Bodyshop and Superdrug who are not testing their products on animals. Maybe one day using animals for this will be banned all together.



So, as cruelty free products rise in growth and popularity it is down to us as consumers to decide what products we want to use. So next time you are buying skin care or cosmetics please try and use animal friendly products. Look beautiful with a clear conscience. Make your voice heard!

(Guest Post by Catherine Howarth)

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